


Go Big or Go Home

by nicstew



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24524299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicstew/pseuds/nicstew
Summary: God meets goddess. God falls for goddess. Luckily, goddess has crush on god. God and goddess eventually get together, with a little (a lot?) of help from their friends.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeus and Poseidon make Hades take shots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by this Tumblr post: https://lookatmysons.tumblr.com/post/618847840341491712/zeus-holding-a-tray-of-shots-go-big-or-go

Hades leaned against the balcony, holding his drink and lost in thought.

Zeus suddenly popped up out of nowhere, holding a tray of shots. “Go big or go home!” he shouted. Slightly startled, Hades turned around and glared at him, as Poseidon materialized out of the crowd with a huge grin.

“If that’s the plan, I think I’m going to go home,” Hades said, rolling his eyes.

“NO!” Zeus and Poseidon shouted, Zeus glaring and sparking with static electricity, Poseidon making sad seal eyes at his older brother.

“Fine, fine, I’m not going anywhere, but can someone explain to me why I should be taking shots instead of drinking this perfectly nice glass of scotch that I already have?” Hades asked.

“Because it’s my house and my party and I say WE’RE DOING SHOTS!” Zeus shouted.

Poseidon elbowed his younger brother. “Dude.” He turned to look at Hades. “Bro. We’re doing shots because it’s a party, AND it’s a party you actually came to, AND it’s the first party you’ve come to as an eligible bachelor! We need to celebrate-,” Poseidon was cut off by Zeus.

“We need to get you drunk and loosened up enough to go talk to the LADIES!” Zeus shouted.

“Look, I’m not saying I’m not… okay… with being here right now,” – _we all know I’m never actually_ happy _to be at an Olympus party_ – “and I’m certainly not saying I’m not happy that I’m not with Minthe anymore, but I am saying that I’m not really into the whole idea of jumping back into the dating pool right now. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think getting hammered and trying to talk to women is the best idea for the night.”

“Clam in the sand,” Poseidon muttered.

“Look,” Zeus said, “here’s how it’s going to go. I have this tray of,” he paused to count, “20 shots. We are going to clear this tray of 20 shots, by consuming said shots, and then, after we have HAD THE SHOTS, we can talk about whether or not we’re going to make you go mingle. Or take more shots.”

Hades rolled his eyes. “I can see I’m not getting out of this, so fine. The three of us will drink this tray of shots, and then I am going to return to drinking this glass of scotch while the two of you point out all of the women down there that you want to hook up with.” _At least I can hold my liquor much better than these two. Even splitting these evenly, 7 shots won’t put me much past “slightly inebriated” on the “buzzed to Zeus setting fire to the strip club, turning into a swan, and forgetting how to turn back” scale._

“Fine, I guess that’s enough of an agreement for now,” Zeus said.

“Wait! If we’re doing rounds of shots, we have to do them properly. We have to cheers to something before each one!” Poseidon interjected.

 _Ah, the party master,_ Hades smirked. _Poseidon always does know how to make a celebration a celebration._

“Okay, so, here, everyone grab one. First round: cheers to never having to pretend to like Minthe again!” Zeus shouted, holding up his shot glass to clink with his brothers’.

“Yeah!” Poseidon shouted.

The three clinked glasses and tossed their shots back.

“Ugh, what WAS that?” Hades grimaced. “It tastes like … cinnamon sticks and gasoline?”

“Oh, come on! Fireball! You can’t tell me you don’t like it, it’s whiskey!” Zeus yelled.

“Alright, I’m not even going to get into that right now, or, for that matter, the fact that neither of you EVER pretended you liked Minthe…,” Hades said.

Zeus harrumphed and Poseidon turned slightly red.

“Okay okay okay, grab your next one,” Poseidon said. “Round two: cheers to the three of us, at a party together!”  
  
The brothers clinked and drank again. Hades looked back and forth between the other two.

“So, I guess it’s my turn? Okay, um, cheers to… um… cheers to a great party, Zeus.” He figured the flattery might get him somewhere once these damned shots were gone.

Zeus smiled proudly. “Why thank you, Hades! Now, my turn again. Oooh, cheers to the entertainment,” he grinned. As per usual at a big event at Zeus and Hera’s, there were live performances throughout the night. Zeus looked pointedly at several nymphs doing aerial acrobatics.

Poseidon’s next turn was “cheers to dolphins.” Zeus and Hades both looked at him as if he was losing his mind, but he just shrugged and said, “What? Dolphins are great. I never said the cheersing needed to be topical.”

“Fine, then, cheers to good quality spirits, which I prefer to drink and which these shots are decidedly not,” Hades deadpanned, as he grabbed another shot glass. Zeus and Poseidon groaned, but again, they clinked and drank.

_Well, that was 6 each. There are only two left… Poseidon looks fairly steady on his feet, but Zeus is starting to move up there on the “too drunk to function” scale. Looks like me and Posie have this last round to ourselves, and then I think I’ll be able to distract them both enough to keep us all standing around up here._

Zeus spoke first. “Weellll, there are three of us, and only two shots left. As host, I INSIST that you two take them!”

Poseidon shrugged. “Fine by me, bro. But, if you’re not taking a drink, you forfeit your turn to pick the cheers, so that means it’s my turn! So, cheers to Hades finally relaxing and enjoying a night out!” He grinned at his older brother.

Hades smiled back and the two of them drank the last of the Fireball shots. _Gods, that stuff is atrocious. I almost need something to wash the taste out before it ruins the flavor of my scotch… I suppose I do have a nice buzz going, though. Providing I can keep these two from trying to enact their earlier plan, maybe that will make staying for longer than usual bearable, which will hopefully get them off my back about leaving early next time they drag me out._

“So, Hades, how’s the search for a new PA going?” Poseidon asked.

Minthe had been his personal assistant, but when they broke up, Hades had Hecate transfer her to another department. He had gone through a string of temporary PAs since then, but they were all… lacking.

“Ugh, not great,” he said.

Zeus chimed in, “I know of a few girls who would be up for the job.”

Hades rolled his eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks, Zeus. I don’t think the qualifications I’m looking for in a PA line up with anyone you have to recommend.” _Because I’m not looking for someone to sleep with, I’m just looking for a PA._

“Aw, are you giving up already?” Poseidon chimed in.

“Look, I know how the two of you operate - and your business is your business,” Hades hastily added, “but clearly that doesn’t work for me. I had strictly professional assistants for centuries, and the one time I cross that line, it turned into a complete and utter disaster.” He gave his brothers a stern look. “And don’t try to tell me otherwise, neither of you could stand her and you both know we were nothing but dysfunctional together. Clearly it’s better for me if I keep work relationships just work relationships.”

“Fiiiine,” his brothers sighed.

Zeus turned toward the partygoers down on the main floor. “So fine, you have Hecate to find you a professional PA to be professional with, but you have me and Poseidon to help you find someone hot to be not professional with!”

_First, Zeus is definitely drunk. Second, damn it, I thought I had managed to avoid this… Let’s see if I can talk long enough to frustrate him and get him off track, that works often enough._

“Are you forgetting what most of the people at this party think of me? Even if I saw someone here who I would theoretically be interested in getting to know, what are the chances that she would even give me the time of day? And if she did, what are the chances that one or both of you didn’t already, uh… know her fairly well?” He raised his eyebrows.

Zeus and Poseidon both started to protest.

From Poseidon: “Oh come on, I’m not that bad! Well, at least not in this social circle. If we were at a party I was hosting that would be a much different story, but Amphi and I wouldn’t hold that against you!”

From Zeus: “So what if one of us has already been there, done that?! How is that even relevant? I mean, you’re not talking about trying to find a wife, just someone to release some tension with!”

“Are you both done?” Hades tried to give his best stern older brother look. “While you’re right in that I’m not looking for a wife, I also am not exactly looking for someone who’s going to be comparing me to either or both of you two or, gods forbid, is some kind of crown chaser who’s just looking to be with any of the three of us as some kind of prize.” Hades rolled his eyes. “I’m just trying to say that if I were to try to meet someone, I would want it to be someone I would truly want to get to know.”

His brothers both looked at him skeptically.

“Hey, I didn’t say I wasn’t looking for someone I could spend the night with” – they both grinned – “just that I’m not looking for JUST someone to spend the night with.”

“Fiiiine,” they whined again, but with smiles this time.

“So,” Zeus said, turning back to the crowd below, “IS there anyone down there who catches your eye?”

Hades scanned the crowd, indulging his brother. He recognized a few beings from work, some nymphs that his brothers had… “associated with,” a handful of frequent fixtures at Olympus gatherings… Suddenly, he spotted a flash of pink that was gone just as fast as he saw it.

_Who was that?_

He scanned the crowd more closely.

_There!_

A short, pink, curvy goddess in a slinky silver dress, standing with Artemis. She held a glass of champagne and had her head back, laughing at something.

_Who is she?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, it's Persephone!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I originally wrote the first chapter as a one-shot, but then my brain catapulted ahead and it's gonna be a series now. Oops.

_Who is she?_

“Well?” Zeus elbowed Hades.

“Who- who is that, with Artemis? I-I’ve never seen her before.”

“Oh! That’s Persephone!” Poseidon exclaimed.

“She’s Demeter’s daughter,” said Zeus. “She just moved to Olympus a few weeks ago and she’s living with Artemis. There was a big to-do with her mother right before she came here,” Zeus had his gossip grin on, “because apparently Demeter had been raising her on track to join Hestia’s organization, you know, the Maidenhood?” Zeus raised his eyebrows suggestively. “BUT, she had been keeping the fact that her daughter is a fertility goddess from her AND from Hestia the whole time!”

“How- how do you know all this?” Hades asked. Even sober, Zeus loved drama, and loved that he could claim it was his job to do so – _“I am the king of this realm and therefore it is my responsibility to know what is going on in said realm, I am not ‘just gossiping!’”_ – but this, if true, was one of the biggest pieces of news in decades.

“Athena was telling us over family dinner right after it all happened,” Zeus said matter-of-factly. “Persephone had been trying to tell Demeter for a while that she didn’t want to join the Maidenhood and she didn’t want to live in the mortal realm anymore, and Demeter was refusing to budge,” Zeus rolled his eyes, “so Persephone called a meeting behind her back to tell everyone that she was resigning from the organization instead of becoming a full member-“

“Oooh, ballsy!” Poseidon interjected.

“Right?” Zeus continued. “Anyway, when Persephone announced that, Demeter exploded and said that she couldn’t leave the Maidenhood or the mortal realm, and after giving a bunch of terrible excuses for why, she eventually blurted out that it was because she needed to protect Persephone from everyone waiting in Olympus to take advantage of her because she’s a fertility goddess.”

Poseidon dramatically wiggled his fingers in a fake-menacing gesture and giggled.

Zeus carried on. “Hestia was pissed at Demeter and told Persephone that she officially was unaffiliated with the group from that moment on, Demeter was pissed at Hestia for allowing Persephone to leave, Persephone was pissed at Demeter for, well, pretty much everything, and then Artemis offered to let Persephone stay in her spare room until she found her own place in Olympus, which pissed off Demeter for ‘interfering in her parenting,’ even though she’s talking about a grown adult.” Zeus and Poseidon both rolled their eyes this time. “She moved in with Artemis that night, and I don’t think she’s spoken to Demeter since.”

 _Well, that’s… quite a story._ Hades stood silently, trying to process the mess of a situation his brother had just regaled him with. _I had forgotten that Demeter even had a daughter; no wonder if she kept her holed up in the mortal realm like that all this time._

“So. Anyway. Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of spring, and single, available fertility goddess!” Zeus grinned.

Hades turned back to where she had been standing. _Where did she go?! Oh._ He spotted her and Artemis a few feet away from where they had been, noting that Apollo and Hermes had joined the two goddesses. His eye twitched seeing the sun god talking to her. _Ugh, Apollo. He’s always flirting with every female being in his sight, and somehow manages to date nearly every one of them._

He took a better look at her. Her hair was in a shaggy pixie cut, and silver bar earrings dangled from her ears, nearly touching her bare shoulders. The spaghetti strap slip dress flared out slightly from her hips, the hem hitting right below her knees, and she wore tall, strappy silver heels, but even then, Hades could tell she would still be quite a bit shorter than him. _I’ve never been with someone so tiny. I wonder how well she’d fit in my arms…_

“Soooo?” Poseidon asked

Hades jerked back to reality. “So, what?” _Get ahold of yourself._

“So, are you going to go talk to her?”

“I-I don’t want to interrupt. She’s with her friends, and-“

“So what?!” Zeus shouted. He had somehow managed to get hold of an appletini, and it was sloshing dangerously close to the rim of the glass as he gestured. “You’re a king, no one she could possibly be talking to is more important than that, so just go up there and commandeer the conversation!”

“Yeah, because that would make a great first impression…” Hades rolled his eyes. His youngest brother was rarely one for subtlety, and often one for throwing around his status.

“Why don’t you wait around nearby, and when you see her drink is empty, walk over with a new one for her?” Poseidon suggested.

“And then look like the creepy guy who was lurking in the corner staring at her for gods know how long? No thanks-“

Poseidon started to protest.

“-but offering her a drink is something I could work with, at least.”

Poseidon smiled.

 _Maybe I just need a couple more drinks myself, and then I’ll be sufficiently relaxed enough to go talk to her,_ Hades mused. He was clearly at least a little more drunk than he realized if he was having that thought. He made up his mind. “I think I need another drink first,” he proclaimed. “Or two.”

“Woo!” Poseidon yelled. He ran over to the bar stationed on the balcony and came back with two beers and two tumblers of scotch. Hades took the two glasses from his brother, and Poseidon gestured for a double cheers. Hades clinked his two drinks against his brother’s two beers and then promptly drained one of the glasses. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had the faint thought that this may have been a waste of quality liquor.

He looked at his brothers. Poseidon had turned back to the partiers downstairs, observing the crowd, probably looking for beings to point out to Amphitrite later. The two of them always left any events they went to with several new numbers in their phones. Zeus had somehow acquired a second appletini, judging by the empty glass next to him – _Is Hebe up past her bedtime? What is she up to?_ – and looked as if he would fall over if he wasn’t gripping the railing with the hand not holding his drink. _I haven’t seen him this drunk in a while, especially at one of his parties._

The last time Zeus had gotten trashed at a party he and Hera hosted, he fell asleep on a chaise in the corner before all of the guests had even left. When he showed up to brunch the next morning, Hades and Poseidon had howled with laughter for a good ten minutes before Hades managed to choke out between laughs that he really needed to find a mirror. Hera had taken some artistic liberties with a permanent marker while he was passed out, and the king of the gods was now sporting a disturbingly realistic drawing of a particular piece of male anatomy on the side of his face.

Hades smirked at the memory.

_I actually haven’t had that bad of a time tonight. I didn’t get stuck as the fifth wheel, Zeus hasn’t made any kind of scene or spent the night making me the butt of all his jokes, Minthe is no longer in the picture so she can’t ruin yet another party… Maybe it is time I get back out there. I-I think I’m going to go talk to her._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THEY TALK!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apollo in this story is not LO canon Apollo; there is no assault of any kind.

Persephone was enjoying the party. It was the first big event in Olympus since she moved, and she had been looking forward to it all week. She had arrived with Artemis an hour ago, and already the night was picking up steam.

“Hey guys, over here!” Artemis waved, looking behind Persephone.

“Hey!” Hermes bounded up to the two goddesses, with Apollo strolling behind him.

“Hi!” squealed Persephone, squeezing Hermes into a hug.

“Whoa Perse, you look great!”

“Thanks!” she grinned.

She had known Hermes for several years now – he was the only male being that she could remember her mother ever allowing on the property. _If she refused to ever go to Olympus,_ Persephone thought, _I guess she at least had to answer their letters._ She had been incredibly glad to have someone that she knew in Olympus, outside of the members of TGOEM, when she moved.

As Hermes released her from their hug, Artemis’ brother stepped in. Apollo grabbed Persephone’s hands and looked her up and down. “I knew you’d clean up well, but wow. You look amazing, Perse.”

“Thanks, Apollo,” she responded politely. _I really hope he sees someone else who catches his eye, and fast. I don’t want to spend the entire night of my first Olympus party trying to ward him off._

The group of four had hung out frequently since Persephone moved in with Artemis. Apollo was both her twin and Hermes’ roommate and friend, so it was a convenient arrangement for them all. Unfortunately, Apollo had been ceaselessly hitting on Persephone since they first met.

_He’s harmless, and I guess it’s flattering, but gods, he doesn’t seem to take the hint. He’s not even that bad to be around when he’s not trying to convince me to go out with him, but he also can’t seem to go for more than half an hour without trying to convince me to go out with him._

She didn’t even understand why he was so interested. The purple god was well-liked among the ladies of the realm, and enjoyed the company of plenty of them. He was a shameless flirt, and according to Artemis, would come around with a new being every few weeks. _If there are so many others out there who are interested, why does he keep focusing on the only one who seems to not be?_

Persephone looked around the room. She still didn’t know very many people here, but she did know a few who would be in attendance tonight. Zeus and Hera, of course – Persephone had met Hera a few times before when she was younger, on some of the rare occasions that Demeter had been forced to come to Olympus for some reason or another, and once when the queen had come to visit Demeter in the mortal realm, but it had been years since the last time they saw each other. She made a mental note to find her at some point later to thank her for the invitation and compliment her on the party – but she was particularly awaiting the arrival of Eros. The sociable god had arrived on Artemis’ doorstep to introduce himself on Persephone’s second day in Olympus, and they had quickly become good friends. Persephone had bought her dress for the night on a shopping trip with Eros, and she was excited to model the final outfit for him.

_He did say he likes to be fashionably late to these things, so he probably won’t be here for a while longer. I’m sure he’ll come find me when he arrives._

Persephone turned back to her companions.

“So, your first Olympus event,” said Hermes. “What do you think so far?”

“Well, it’s as fancy as I expected, but I think I actually like fancy. I thought I would feel really out of place, but turns out getting all dressed up is pretty fun!” Persephone grinned. “But it’s still early, and if Artemis is right, we’re still getting to the part of the night that makes for all the interesting stories.” She raised her eyebrows and giggled, as Hermes snorted a laugh.

“Fair assessment, Perse, fair assessment.”

* * *

“I’m going to go talk to her,” Hades stated.

Poseidon and Zeus turned to look at their older brother, Poseidon with eyes wide with glee, Zeus stumbling slightly as he turned himself to face Hades.

“Yeah? Yeah!” Poseidon shouted.

From Zeus: “Don’t make an idiot of yourself.”

Hades rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, brother.”

He straightened his tie, squared his shoulders, and walked over to the stairs leading down to the main floor.

As he neared where he last saw the goddess, his pulse sped up. _There she is, and she’s alone. Am I really going to get this lucky? Will it really be this easy?_

She was walking toward one of the bars stationed around the perimeter of the room, holding an empty champagne flute. He strode to catch up with her.

“Hello. Can I get you a drink?”

Persephone jumped and turned around. “Oh! Hello, sorry, you startled me!” She smiled sheepishly. “I do need another drink though.”

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” _Smooth, old man, smooth._ “W-what can I get you?”

“Hm. So far tonight I’ve only had champagne, but I’m really not sure what else I’d like. Why don’t you order something for me?” She smiled up at him.

_Shit. What?! How am I supposed to- Wait. Think. Goddess of spring. Spring-y drink. I can think of something._

They were nearing the front of the line. As he tried to come up with the ideal drink for the her, she looked at him with a smirk.

“My glass is empty, but here you are with a nearly full drink and you’re already in line for another!” she teased.

Hades blushed. _Oh gods, how did I not think of that? I must look like a fool._

Before he could formulate a response, they had reached the bartender.

“What can I get you?”

“The lady here will have a bramble, and I’ll take a-another glass of scotch, thanks.”

As the bartender turned away to ready their drinks, the small goddess curiously looked up at Hades.

“So, what’s a bramble?” she asked.

“It-it’s a gin drink, with lemon and blackberry.”

“Ooooh, that sounds delicious!” She beamed up at him.

“Hopefully you still think so after you try it.” Hades smiled down at her.

The bartender handed them their drinks, and Hades walked a few feet from the bar, to a quiet spot against the wall with a view of the crowd. Persephone sniffed at her drink and took a small sip, and then another longer drink.

“That’s so good!” she exclaimed, smiling broadly up at him.

_It’s nearly the same color as her skin… Wait, she’s talking. Pay attention!_

“You- you like it?”

“I love it!”

Hades smiled down at her.

“Oh, there’s Hera!” the goddess said. Hades looked up and saw his both of his brothers’ wives slowly walking toward the middle of the room, talking to one another.

“I haven’t seen her since I got here, to- to the party or Olympus, and I have to go thank her for inviting me. I’m so sorry, but I would be a horrible guest if I didn’t go say hello. I’ll still be around though, if you want to talk again.” She smiled hopefully. “I mean, you have great taste in drinks, and you are pretty cute.” She grinned and blushed, and then made a beeline for the queen of the gods.

_What- what just happened?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the night.

Persephone approached Hera and the emerald-colored woman she was with.

“H-hello, Your Majesty?”

Hera gasped excitedly. “Persephone?! How wonderful to see you, dear! You’re so grown up now, you look wonderful!” The queen smiled.

“Oh, thank you! I just wanted to say how much I appreciate being invited here tonight, and tell you how lovely the party is.”

“Of course you would be invited, dear. You’re a descendant of one of the Six Traitors, and now that you’re living in Olympus, of course you’ll be included in such things.”

_Oh. Is this what things would have been like if mama hadn’t raised me in the mortal realm, or had at least brought me to Olympus more often? Would I be used to being at parties like these, being around all of these other gods and goddesses? Maybe I would feel more at home in the city than I do now – this is the realm I’m supposed to be in, isn’t it? But I still feel so out of place sometimes._

“Oh, where are my manners? Persephone, I don’t believe you’ve ever had the chance to meet Amphitrite, Poseidon’s wife and the queen of the sea. Amphitrite, this is Persephone, Demeter’s daughter and the goddess of spring.”

“Well hello there, Persephone.” The other woman smiled and held out her hand.

Persephone shook it. “Hello, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, no, no, no. That’s Hera’s bit. I don’t need that nonsense, it’s just Amphitrite.” She had a tinkling, musical voice and an easy smile.

Hera laughed. “I don’t believe you’ve met Poseidon, either, but when you do, you’ll see why the two of them work so well together. They’re quite possibly two of the most laid-back beings I know. Actually, I suppose I should introduce you to Poseidon… and Hades as well? And it’s surely been so long since you last met Zeus…” She eyed the pink goddess. “We can leave all that for a later day, though. Go enjoy the party, dear. You’re so young, go have fun!” Hera smiled and gently shooed Persephone back toward the crowd.

As she wandered along the edge of the party, looking for flashes of purple or red to signify her friends, she thought of the handsome blue god that she had been talking to. _Sugarsnaps, I didn’t even catch his name! Maybe he’ll come find me again later…_

A pink hand grabbed her arm and whirled her around.

“Ah! Oh, Eros! You scar-“

“OH MY GODS, I SAW THAT WHOLE THING!”

“Wait, what thing? Me talking to Hera?”

“Um, no, you and the King of the Underworld, FLIRTING!”

“WHAT?! Eros, what are you talking about?!”

“Oh my gods, did you not know?”

Persephone drained the rest of her drink, heart pounding. _What is he saying? Surely the god from the bar wasn’t…_

Eros stared at her, wide-eyed, a huge grin slowly but surely spreading across his face. “You didn’t know. Perse, the guy who got you that drink,” Eros gestured at her now-empty glass, “was Hades!”

“What? No. No way. I-I would have known if I was talking to a king! You’re just messing with me. Why in all the realms would a king want to talk to me?”

“Um, honey. First of all, look at you.” The pink god gestured to Persephone. “I helped you pick that dress, and obviously I only suggested things that you would look hot in, and with that whole outfit, you look hotter than hot.” He grinned. “Plus, you’re new. Everyone is going to be curious about the goddess that seems to have just shown up out of nowhere.”

“But- but- he was so nice! The King of the Underworld isn’t exactly known for being nice. And, oh gods, I was flirting with him! I feel like such an idiot,” Persephone groaned.

“Why? He came up to you, so clearly he started the flirting. Nothing wrong with flirting back!” Flirting was as natural as breathing to Eros.

“Ugh, he probably wasn’t even flirting! He probably just came over to be nice because I’m the new goddess who doesn’t know anyone, just like you said. AND I TOLD HIM HE WAS CUTE!” Persephone wailed. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, but she didn’t want to smudge her makeup, and she was also still holding an empty drink glass.

Eros just watched her, grinning.

“I think I need another drink,” she mumbled.

“To the bar we go!” Eros grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward the drink station. There was no line this time. “A glass of bubbly for me, and she’ll have…,” Eros looked at his friend.

“A-another bramble, please.”

Eros smiled. _He wasn’t flirting, my pink ass,_ he thought. _She didn’t see what his face looked like when she walked away. He is SO into her._ He snickered.

Across the room, Hera smiled knowingly to herself as she watched Persephone and Eros. _So, my hunch was right. She didn’t know it was Hades she had been talking to, and based on all that blushing she’s doing, it looks like she likes him. Interesting._

* * *

Hades stared as the small pink goddess walked over to the two queens.

 _Wait, she said I-I’m cute?_ He could feel himself blushing furiously. _And it doesn’t seem like she was using wanting to talk to Hera as an excuse to get out of our conversation. I have to talk to her again. I at least need to get her number…_

He figured there wasn’t much he could do at the moment, so he wandered back upstairs to where his brothers were.

Or, at least, where he had thought they were. Zeus was, in fact, still on the balcony, but he was asleep in a wingback chair. Poseidon was nowhere to be found.

 _Great, I need to waste some time before going to find her again, and these two are of no help at all._ Hades sighed and sat down on a couch, nursing his drink.

* * *

Persephone and Eros spotted Artemis and Hermes dancing in the middle of the crowd and made their way over to them.

“Hey!” Artemis shouted. “We wondered where you went, Perse. Hey, Eros!”

“Oh, I- I saw Hera after I got my drink, so I went over to say hello, and then I ran into Eros.” _That’s not technically a lie…_ Persephone caught Eros looking at her skeptically. “And I met Amphitrite,” she added.

“Oh, Trite’s great,” Hermes said. “She has the funniest stories, I love when I have to deliver mail there!”

“Is that the only reason you love those visits?” Eros asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What? No! No, I- no, that’s not… I haven’t…” Hermes trailed off, eyes darting between Eros and Persephone.

“Uh, what?” she asked.

“Poseidon and his wife have an open marriage, which apparently Hermes has NOT taken part in,” Eros explained.

“Oh.” Persephone blushed.

“Seems to work for them,” Eros shrugged.

Persephone lost herself in the joy of dancing with her friends. She spotted Apollo with a river nymph a few feet away, and Eros continually popped in and out of their circle, always spotting someone else he needed to say hi to. Surrounded by people and sounds, Persephone hadn’t felt so free in years.

 _When I was younger, running around the fields with the nymphs, playing games, swimming in the lake, sleeping under the stars… all of that made me feel so happy and relaxed. I loved having so many friends always around. But then it all just started to feel so suffocating. I was always being watched, and I couldn’t do anything on my own. But right now? This is how I used to feel when I was with them, my childhood friends, and now I’m here, with my new friends, free to do whatever I choose._ She closed her eyes and smiled, moving to the music.

The song ended. Thinking about home made her need to be outside.

“Hey guys, I’m going to go out in the gardens to get some air. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Are you okay?” Artemis asked, looking worried.

“I’m fine, I promise. I just need a short recharge. I’m also curious what Hera’s gardens look like.” Persephone smiled.

“Naturally,” Artemis laughed.

* * *

Hades had waited as long as he could. He had finished his scotch, Zeus had started drooling, and he still had no idea where Poseidon had gone. He walked over to the railing to scan the crowd. He saw Eros flitting around, but there was no small pink goddess with the taller pink god. He spotted Apollo, who was dancing with a river nymph, and located Artemis and Hermes next to them, but still didn’t see the goddess of spring. He saw Amphitrite dancing in the middle of a group of beings, with Poseidon again nowhere to be found, and noticed Hera leaning against a doorway near the front of the room, observing the crowd. Still no Persephone.

 _Fuck. Did she leave? I don’t know who else she knows here that she would be with, or where else she could be if she’s still here. Maybe she just had to use the bathroom?_ He sighed. _I guess I’ll wait for a few more minutes._

Five minutes passed, with Hades checking his phone every 30 seconds in between scanning the crowd.

 _Well, I guess she’s gone._ This conclusion made him sadder than he thought it would. _My brothers are also apparently gone for the night, in their own ways,_ he eyed Zeus and rolled his eyes, _so I guess this is the end of the night for me._ Hades walked down the staircase and slipped out a side door. A minute later, a small pink goddess wandered back into the party, weaving through the crowd toward her friends with a flower in her hair.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after. 
> 
> The Big Idiot Squad convene for brunch, and Hera schemes.

_Bzz. Bzz. Bzz._

Hades grunted and buried his head under his arm.

_Bzz. Bzz. Bzz._

Hades grimaced. _Ugh, what is it?_ He opened one eye and realized three things: first, he had fallen asleep on the couch when he returned home from the party; second, his head was throbbing with a hangover he hadn’t expected to be feeling; and third, he was quite certainly being summoned to brunch.

_Bzz. Bzz._

“Hello, Zeus,” Hades sighed into the phone.

\-------

Hades pulled up to the restaurant Zeus had chosen. _He must be too hungover to handle a strip club this morning, so at least I escaped that._ Sunday brunch took place almost exclusively at strip clubs, as much as Hades had tried to advocate for other venues over the centuries.

As he walked in, he spotted his two younger brothers already at a table with drinks in hand. They waved him over.

He sat down, and Poseidon slid a tumbler across the table to him.

“So, how did it go last night?” Poseidon smiled eagerly.

_Okay, so I guess we’re going to jump right to that… Not like I didn’t expect it, really._

“Not as well as planned, unfortunately.”

“What? Why not?!” Zeus exclaimed.

“I found her and offered to get her a drink, like Poseidon said, but once we got away from the bar and started talking, she saw Hera and ran off. She said she had to go thank her for the invitation… but she did say to find her later.”

Zeus cocked his head and Poseidon gestured for him to go on.

“Well, I obviously couldn’t just watch and wait until she was done talking to Hera and then go right back up to her-“

“Why not?!” Zeus interjected.

“-because that would be creepy and overbearing,” Hades continued, “so I went back up to the balcony to find you two before I could go back down to talk to her again, but you,” he glared at Zeus, “were completely passed out, and you,” he turned to Poseidon, “were nowhere to be found.”

Both of his brothers had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.

“Sorry, dude,” said Poseidon.

Hades looked at Zeus. “Which, speaking of, I’m honestly shocked you managed to get out of bed this morning. How are you awake, and talking, and drinking MORE?”

“Yeah man, you were… pretty gone,” Poseidon added.

“A good, solid night of uninterrupted sleep?” Zeus ventured.

His brothers eyed him suspiciously.

“I didn’t get out of bed this morning because I never got to bed in the first place…,” Zeus sighed. “I woke up on that chair on the balcony.”

Poseidon failed to contain a bark of laughter.

“I guess Hera didn’t want to bother trying to wake me up and drag me to bed.”

“Or she tried, but you were as drunk as we thought you were and she couldn’t?” Poseidon suggested.

“Or,” Hades added, “she decided that this time she would spare you the indignity of her artwork and leave you with cramped muscles and a stiff neck instead, in addition to allowing your staff the small gift of being able to see that spectacle until you finally woke up.”

Hades grinned innocently and Poseidon laughed some more as Zeus grimaced.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… You’re changing the subject though – what happened with Persephone after you came back upstairs?”

_Damnit._

“I sat around for a bit, finished my drink, looked for her, didn’t see her, and went home.” Hades shrugged.

“That’s really it?” Zeus whined.

“Yes, that’s it. What else did you want me to do?”

“If she lives in Olympus now, maybe you’ll see her around again soon,” Poseidon said.

“Yes, because I, the King of the Underworld, spend SO much of my time in Olympus.” Hades looked pointedly at his middle brother.

“Oh. Right. Hmm.”

Zeus sat up straighter, with a gleam in his eyes.

_Oh, no._

“That just means you’ll have to come out more often with us!” His voice was filled with glee. “Come on, a young goddess that attractive? She has to go out all the time.”

“You’re aware that it’s highly unlikely that she frequents strip clubs, right?” Hades asked.

“Hey, I enjoy many types of nighttime establishments,” Zeus pouted.

“Look, I appreciate the effort, but I don’t really need to go to some club to see her dancing with beings much closer to her age who would be much better suited to her.” Hades sighed.

 _Come on, what were you thinking would happen, anyway? Of course she surely has a busy social life, and probably goes on plenty of dates, and she must have a long list of much more appropriate matches who are interested in her. Especially being a fertility goddess. Why in the realms would_ you _get to be the one to end up with her?_

Poseidon, ever the mediator, noticed the downturn in Hades’ mood, and quickly changed the subject.

“You guys, you would NOT believe what Triton did the other day!”

* * *

Hera tossed on a robe and wandered down to the sitting room. She had heard Zeus leave a bit earlier, she assumed to Sunday brunch, or as she referred to it in her head, _Idiot Brunch_. Good. She didn’t want him around for this call anyway. Her plans worked best when he didn’t interfere, even when he did so with the best of intentions. Although, she supposed that he was harassing Hades about a very similar topic right now anyway.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. _Hecate, here we are._

“Hello?” a wary voice answered on the other end of the line.

“Hecate, hello, it’s Hera. I think I have a solution to a problem you have.”

“Problem? I’m not sure I know what you would be referring to.”

Hera smiled. “Hades and his inability to find a sufficiently capable PA, of course. I know you’ve been having to sort through far too many applications and have gone through several failed candidates already, have you not?”

“Yes, actually, it’s been a nightmare. Did you have someone in mind for the position?”

 _That position, to start._ She smirked. “I did. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Persephone, the goddess of spring, has recently moved to Olympus, and it’s come to my attention that she is in the market for a job.”

“Persephone? She’s in Olympus?” Hecate had spent some time in the mortal realm the year before, staying with Demeter while studying poisonous plants, back when the pink goddess had still gone by Kore. Hecate was shocked that Demeter had actually let her leave, although she did vaguely remember from a letter the younger goddess had sent that she was determined to leave TGOEM. She must have done it, then, or there was no way she would be in Olympus.

“Yes, do you know her?” Hera asked. _This could be easier than I thought._

“I do. I spent a few months in the mortal realm last year and stayed with Demeter. I remember that she was very personable and very sharp. Those qualities would lend themselves well to the role… And you think she would be a good fit?” Hecate asked.

“I do, yes. I imagine that with both you having known her previously and my recommendation, none of those silly formalities like resumes or interviews will be necessary, don’t you think?”

Hecate was actually quite relieved that Hera seemed to be telling her that the position would be filled by Persephone, rather than suggesting her as an option. She did like the goddess of spring, and she had no desire to go through another round of the disaster trying to fill the role had been so far.

“Yes, I think that sounds quite reasonable,” she said.

 _Perfect._ Hera grinned to herself, quite satisfied with her work. “Wonderful. Why don’t you get in touch with her today, and she can come in for her first day tomorrow morning? I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to be done with looking for a job, and to work somewhere with a familiar face.” _Or two_ , she smirked.

“Will do. Thank you, Hera, you have no idea how helpful this is.”

 _Oh, no,_ you _have no idea how helpful this is to_ me _._ The queen of the gods ended the call and sat back with a satisfied smile, finally ready for her breakfast gin and tonic.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby girl gets a job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby chapter, sorry! Next one is coming today or tomorrow and will be back to the usual length!

_Bzz. Bzz. Bzz._

Persephone groaned and rolled over.

_Bzz. Bzz. Bzz._

She cracked an eye open, noticing the bright sunlight streaming in through her bedroom window. _Crap, what time is it? How long have I been sleeping? How late was it by the time we got home last night?_

_Bzz. Bzz._

She sat up and scrambled for her phone, glancing at the time – after 11 – before answering it. “Hello?”

“Hello, Persephone? It’s Hecate.”

Persephone brightened at hearing who was on the other end of the line.

“Hi! It’s wonderful to hear from you! How are you?”

“I’ve been good. I spoke with Hera this morning – I had no idea you had moved to Olympus, or I would have gotten in touch with you earlier. Are you settling in alright?”

“I am, yeah. I’m staying with Artemis for now, and I’m making some other friends here, which is great. You know I loved the nymphs back home, but it wasn’t the same, you know? Being on my own for the first time is…,” Persephone trailed off. “I’m glad I did it.” She smiled softly to herself.

“Are you still looking for a job?”

“Oh, yes, I-I am.”

“Perfect!” Hecate exclaimed. “As you know, I work at Underworld Corp., and as it just so happens, there’s an opening that I think you would be perfect for.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Are you able to come in tomorrow to start?”

“Wait, what? Don’t I need to fill out an application, or send you my resume, or-“

“Persephone, I know you, and I know your work ethic. I don’t need any of those things to know you’ll do great in the position, and as far as I can see, the sooner you start the better, don’t you think?”

“Well, i-if you’re sure that I can do it, then yes, that sounds great. I’ll start tomorrow.”

“I’m glad to hear it, and I’m glad to have you coming to join the office. I’m excited to have someone else I actually like on my floor.” Hecate smirked. “I’ll send you the address, and I’ll see you at 9?”

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Thank you so much, Hecate, really – I swear I will do an amazing job and work as hard as I need to-“

“I know, Persephone, you’ll be the perfect fit.” With that, the older goddess ended the call.

_Wow, I have a job! How did that even happen? I’m so relieved, and excited, and I’m truly glad that I got to speak with Hecate and that I’ll get to work with her, but how did she even know I needed a job? OH CRAP, and I don’t have any professional clothes at all! I need to call Eros for another shopping trip…  
_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persephone realizes who her boss is.
> 
> Hades realizes he might be in trouble.

Persephone smoothed her skirt and took a few deep breaths. She stood outside the doors to Tower 1 of Underworld Corp., readying herself to go in. Eros had of course been thrilled to take her on a shopping spree, but he had also pointed out the most obvious piece of information about her new job that she had neglected to realize in her excitement – Hades ran Underworld Corp.

_He’s the boss. I’m just… actually, I don’t know entirely what I’m going to be doing, but I’m sure I’m not going to be interacting with Hades. I’m surely on the lowest rung of the ladder here; I’ve never even had a real job before. Oh no, what if I have no idea how to do any of this and he wants to fire me?!_

_Deep breaths, girl, deep breaths. You can do this. You are smart, and a hard worker, and a quick learner, and you know you look the part of someone in an office job – you got this._

She adjusted the strap of her crossbody bag, straightened her shoulders, and walked through the door. She walked up to the front desk, where several nymphs were sitting and talking to one another.

“Hello, it’s my first day here. I’m supposed to see Hecate?”

The dark blue nymph in the middle spoke. “What’s your name?”

“Persephone.”

“Um, can you spell that for me?”

Persephone spelled out her name and the nymph looked up Hecate’s calendar. “Alright, I see you are on her schedule for this morning. Her office is on floor 99. The elevators are right over there, just tell the attendant what floor you need. Here’s a visitor pass, you’ll need that until all your paperwork is done and you get your own ID card for the building. Have a good day!” The cheerful nymph handed Persephone a plastic card with “visitor” printed on it in all capital letters.

“Thank you!” Persephone took the card, smiled back, and headed in the direction of the elevators.

The ride up took several minutes, with the number of beings getting on and off the elevator on various floors before finally reaching the top. Persephone tried to stand still, but her nerves had her bursting with energy. Finally, the doors opened on her floor.

There was a desk with another nymph right in front of the elevator. Persephone walked up to it.

“Hello, I’m looking for Hecate’s office?” She raised up her visitor badge.

“Go down this hall and turn at the end. Her office is just about at the end of that hall. Her door is on the right, it’s got her name on it.”

“Thank you!”

Persephone turned to her right to go find her new boss’ office. _Wait, is Hecate my boss? I actually don’t know who I’ll be reporting to… Guess I’ll find out soon._

* * *

Hecate was waiting for Persephone to arrive. She stood up and wrapped the younger goddess in a hug when she knocked on the office door.

“Persephone! How are you? Come in, sit down!”

Persephone hugged her back. “I’m good! Ready to get started,” she smiled, walking over to one of the chairs in front of the large desk the blue goddess sat at.

“So, I’m guessing you’re wondering what exactly you’ll be doing here. I realized I didn’t actually tell you much of anything about the actual position.” Hecate smiled sheepishly.

Persephone nodded.

“Well, the boss needs a personal assistant.” Hecate rolled her eyes. “The last few we’ve tried have been awful, and he-“

“W-wait, w-who needs an assistant?” Persephone’s heartbeat began to speed up.

“Oh, Hades, the big boss around here,” Hecate answered. “Don’t worry, if he gives you any trouble I’m juuuust about as much in charge as he is,” she smirked, “so I’ll make sure he plays nice.”

 _OH GODS._ Persephone felt herself begin to panic.

“Anyway,” Hecate continued, “he had a PA for several years before this, but we had to let her go. Since then, we’ve had a handful of beings take the job, but none of them lasted for more than a few weeks, for one reason or another, so when Hera told me you were in Olympus and looking for a job” – _oh_ , Persephone thought, _that answers one of my questions_ – “I thought this would be the perfect solution for all of us!”

“W-what happened to the other assistants? Why did they get fired? I just, I don’t mean to be nosy, I just want to make sure I don’t do the same things.” _I want to make sure that they didn’t get fired for being completely unqualified, like me._

Hecate sighed. “Well, the ones that didn’t last very long either had no idea how to do much of anything, or they were too afraid of Hades to actually effectively work for him, or they were looking like the kind of free ride Minthe had.” Hecate practically spat out the name. “Minthe,” the goddess nearly growled, “was Hades’ long-term PA before that. She unfortunately” – the sarcasm was evident in that word – “had to be let go, due to being an entirely awful creature.

“The only time he dates his PA…,” she muttered under her breath.

_Oh. Well. That makes it easy though, doesn’t it? I can totally manage this, I can be professional – mama trained me on how to act like that since I could walk. I’ll just pretend that Saturday night never happened, be completely cordial and do the best job I possibly can, and hope he follows my lead. I need a job, he needs an assistant – this can totally work._

* * *

Hades was always in the office before anyone else showed up, and he always stayed later than anyone else. Sure, he did have an incredible amount of work to do, always, but he also didn’t have much else to do outside of the office. Better to be working and occupied than home alone, thinking about being lonely… He mentally shook himself.

 _It’s Monday morning, focus. Think about everything you need to do today instead of…_ her _._

He heard a knock on his office door.

“Hello?”

The door opened and Hecate strode in.

“Guess what I just did?” she asked, with a satisfied smile on her face.

“Um…”

“Solved your assistant problem!”

“Oh?” That would be a welcome development.

“Yep. She’s filling out her paperwork with HR, as soon as she’s done I’ll bring her here to introduce her, and then you can get her all set up.” The blue goddess grinned.

Hades couldn’t help but smile at how pleased his friend looked with herself.

“So you think this one will stick?”

“I’m sure of it. I actually know her, and she was recommended by Hera. She’ll be perfect.” Hecate turned around and walked back through the doors of Hades’ office.

_Hera? Well, I guess she won’t be anything like Zeus’ assistants, thank Gaia._

_Wait… Why would Hera get involved here?_ A nervous feeling started to bubble up in Hades’ stomach. _Either this is someone she really cares about and is doing a favor for, or… oh no. Please, please don’t be the second option, please don’t be trying to set me up with someone…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THEY MEET AGAIN.

It took about an hour for Persephone to get through all of her new employee paperwork, which had been quite a tedious process.

_I see why coffee is so popular now. That was… not mentally stimulating._

She made her way back to Hecate’s office.

“All done?”

Persephone smiled. “Yep.”

“Great. Follow me, I’ll show you to your desk and then Hades will be out to introduce himself and get you started.” Hecate smiled warmly.

 _Right. Hades. How could I forget that I’m working directly for Hades?_ She was completely alert now, caffeine or no.

_Wait, introduce himself? So he didn’t say anything about us having met before, either…_

“Here we are.” Hecate gestured at a large desk with a computer and phone, a sad potted plant – _Is that even real?_ – and a few file cabinets off to the side, with a large wooden door behind and to the side.

Persephone set her purse on the desk. “Um, where is the bathroom?”

“Ah, yes,” Hecate said. “The floor is a rectangle. When you come out of the elevators, as you saw, there’s the front desk for the level. That hallway has a few lower level offices, the copy room and a supply closet. The next hallway, where my office is, is all offices. This hall” – she gestured around them – “is fairly quiet, since it’s the boss’ corner” – she raised her eyebrows in jest at this – “but at the end is a small conference room. The last leg, past that, has the bathrooms, another conference room, and the kitchen. It’s not much, but there’s a fridge, a microwave, and things for coffee and tea.

“Ah, damn, I forgot to bring up lunch – the kitchen can obviously hold anything you bring in from home, but there are also a plenty of places nearby for you to go get something to eat at. I don’t know if you would have thought to bring something for today, but if not, when you get hungry come find me and we’ll go for something on me.”

“Are you sure? You’re not too busy? It’s really fine-“

“I can make time to go to lunch with a friend, especially a friend whose first day at the office is today.” Hecate smiled.

“Alright,” Persephone said. “That would be nice, thank you.”

“Now, you just get comfortable here. See where everything is, and if there are any supplies you don’t see and think you need, you can look through the supply closet later or send me an email and I’ll get everything ordered. I’ll let Hades know you’re here.”

Persephone sat down in the chair at the desk. It was surprisingly comfortable, but her feet dangled above the ground. I know there has to be a lever around here somewhere, where is it…

Hecate knocked and walked into Hades’ office without waiting for a response. “Hey, she’s at her desk. I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes down on floor 42, so I have to run, but I take it you can manage to introduce yourself without me.”

“Yes, I think I can manage to remember my name.” He rolled his eyes. As Hecate turned around to leave, he said, “Hey, wait. What is her name? You never even told me.”

She looked over her shoulder. “Persephone,” she called, striding out the door.

_W-what?!_

_Persephone? No. She can’t mean_ that _Persephone, this must be a different one… Right, because that’s such a common name. But why would a goddess take a job as a personal assistant? Maybe I heard Hecate wrong and she didn’t even say Persephone…_

Hades closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. _Just… go out there and introduce yourself. There’s no way it’s her…_

Persephone had found the lever to adjust the height of the chair, and had moved on to attempting to set up the computer. HR had given her a log-in name and a temporary password to use for the computer itself and her email account, and she was attempting to connect to the internet to choose her permanent password.

 _Sugarsnaps, why won’t this load? I am not going to ask something so stupid, I should be able to figure this out on my own._ She could feel her hair lengthening, curling around her neck, almost brushing her shoulders. _No! Stupid hair. Deep breaths. You got this, remember?_

Hades straightened his tie and ran his hands through his hair, threw his shoulders back – _I’m the boss here. I am a_ king _, for fates’ sake_ – and then stepped through the door between his office and the space designated for his PA. He was barely fully out of the doorway when he froze at the sight of bright pink hair peeking over the back of the chair at the desk in front of him.

_SHIT! Shit shit shit._

Hades’ heart was hammering in his chest. _Is it too late to hide? Run back into my office and not leave for the rest of the day? I can have Hecate-_

She shifted in her seat and he froze, waiting for her to turn around and notice him behind her, staring like a creep, but she kept looking at her computer screen.

 _Okay, get it together._ He cleared his throat and walked up next to her. “H-hello.”

Persephone put on a smile and looked up at her new boss. “Oh, hello, good morning.” She paused. “I’m your new assistant.” _Duh. Did you really need to say that? Don’t ramble! Cordial and professional, cordial and professional…_

“Er, yes, so you are. A-are you doing alright so far?” _Gods, she’s just as gorgeous as I remember._

“Yeah, I’m setting up my accounts right now, but after that, I’m not exactly sure what to do… Hecate said you would explain what I’ll actually be doing in the position? Everything happened so quickly, she really only told me that I would be your assistant, but not anything you would need me to do.” She smiled shyly. _It is really not fair that my boss is so handsome, when he is so obviously off-limits now. Gods, this might be harder than I had hoped it would be._

“Um, yes, right. When you’re done with setting up your computer, l-let me know, and we can go over what your responsibilities will be.”

“Of course. I’ll get this finished and be right in.” She turned back to her computer.

Hades looked at the goddess in front of him for a moment, and then turned around and retreated to his office. He shut the door and slumped into his desk chair with a sigh.

_Just as gorgeous, but much more reserved… Did I do something wrong? Is she not happy to be working with me? Maybe she really was just being friendly Saturday night, and wasn’t into me at all… How am I supposed to focus on work every day, knowing she’s right on the other side of that wall?! Hera must be trying to torture me, that’s the only explanation for this._

After Hades returned to his office, Persephone looked under her desk and realized that the internet wasn’t working because the cord was unplugged. She blushed _. Oh. I guess that’s technology problem rule number two. One, turn it off and then turn it back on; two, make sure it’s plugged in._

Yet another thing she had had to adapt to when she moved to Olympus was technology. The mortal realm had none of the things that Olympus, or the Underworld, did: no cars, no TVs, no phones, cell or otherwise, no computers… _Guess I need to get even more familiar with all of this if I’m going to be working in an office. Hopefully I don’t make a fool of myself until then…_

She sighed. _I can make it through today. I’ll talk to Hades, find out what I’ll be doing here, hope lunch with Hecate takes up a good amount of time, and then hold it together until 5 o’clock, then when I get home, beg Artemis and Eros to teach me all of the things I’ll need to know as fast as possible. I can totally manage that._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Internal panic!

Hecate knocked twice on Hades’ office door and walked inside without waiting for a response. She had wanted to see how his introduction to Persephone had gone and get his impression of her, in addition to checking in on her lunch plans with the young goddess, but as she had approached his office, she began to suspect that something was… off. Hecate had never seen Persephone flustered in their time in the mortal realm, yet her hair was noticeably longer than it had been in the morning, papers were already strewn about her desk, when Hecate knew the other goddess was usually meticulously organized, and she was practically vibrating with nervous energy. She nodded at Persephone as she passed by, but she didn’t seem to notice her at all.

Hades did not look any better. His hair was all out of place, as if he had been running his hands through it constantly, his jacket was unbuttoned, tie loosened, and he was clearly not able to focus on whatever bit of work it was that he was trying to do. He looked up as she shut the door behind them. _He only ever looks this disheveled when his anxiety is at at least a nine… Fates help me._ She looked up at the ceiling briefly and then spoke.

“So, what’s going on here?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “You didn’t already manage to scare her, did you?”

“W-what? N-no! I- I don’t think so. Why?” He had a panicked look on his face.

“Hm, that’s clearly not it…,” she said to herself. She squinted at Hades, appraising him, to see if she could find what it was that had both he and Persephone so unsettled. Her eyes narrowed.

“YOU DIDN’T. Hades, I swear to Gaia, tell me you haven’t slept with her!” she demanded.

“N-n-no! I- no!” he stumbled over himself, furiously blushing.

She stared.

“Oh gods no, it’s worse than that, isn’t it,” she muttered. She thought back through the chain of events that had led to Persephone’s position here. _Hera. Gods damn it. I should have known there was some other angle to this._ She let out a resigned sigh.

Hecate fixed the fidgeting King of the Underworld with a piercing stare. “Get. Your. Shit. Together.”

His eyes widened and he stilled.

“You are a king, the boss of a major company, and A GROWN-ASS MAN. You can, and will, manage to function around your assistant” - she stressed the word - “as aesthetically pleasing as she may be. We have gone through multiple candidates for this job and they have all been awful, and Persephone is a capable woman and likely a great asset to this company, if you can manage to not act like” - she gestured - “ _this_. You will not mess this up. In fact, you are going to take her to lunch today as a welcome-and-get-to-know-you outing, and you will use that time to start to figure out how to act like a normal being around her. All you have to concentrate on is acting sane and not choking on your food.” She stared. “And I would hope to the gods you can at least do that.”

She turned to walk away, leaving Hades with his mouth hanging open, speechless, but then looked back over her shoulder. “Also, she’s vegetarian. Maybe pescetarian, I’m not sure. So make sure wherever you take her has something she can actually eat.” With that, Hecate left his office, hoping that she had averted a disaster but having the feeling that it was, of course, not going to be anywhere near that easy.

* * *

Persephone was trying to focus on her work. She had set up her accounts on her computer and had been attempting to take stock of the supplies in her workspace, making a list of things she needed to check the supply closets for, but she kept getting distracted by thoughts of the god on the other side of the wall from her.

She thought back to their brief, awkward meeting in his office. They had stumbled through the conversation, and she was worried that he was less than pleased about her being there. _He was so… uncomfortable? I guess it makes sense. He never did find me after our initial conversation that night, and from what Hecate said, he obviously doesn’t date his assistants, so of course it’s awkward that I’m here. I’m just the amateur goddess that he was flirting with to pass the time. I need this job, though, so if I just continue to act detached and professional, my work will speak for itself and he’ll come around to the idea. Right?_

She sighed. _I have to actually focus on my work for it to be good enough for him to want to keep me on._ She tried to clear her mind to return to the task at hand, when she heard the office door open behind her.

“Hello Persephone, how’s it going so far?” Hecate walked up and stood beside the goddess’ desk.

“It’s alright. Hades explained what I’ll be doing, at least to start, and right now I’m just trying to make sure I’ll have all of the things I’ll need. I don’t want to forget anything, or not have something that I should have…,” she trailed off.

“It’s alright. You won’t know everything you need until you start doing the work, just like you won’t know all the questions you’ll need to ask until you need to ask them. I trust in your ability to pick things up as you go, so try not to stress too much.” She smiled and paused, deciding to take the leap.

“From what I saw, it seemed like your mother always demanded perfection, and while that’s admirable, it’s not always,” she paused, “realistic, necessarily. It’s of course good to hold yourself to high standards, but everyone has room to learn and grow, so make sure to leave yourself that room, yeah?”

Persephone let out a relieved sigh and smiled. “Thank you. That’s actually really helpful, and really good to hear.”

“I’m glad,” Hecate responded. She truly did like the younger goddess, and as much as she generally preferred others to leave her alone as often as possible, especially at work, she knew that she wouldn’t mind mentoring Persephone at all.

“I’ll stop by again before the end of the day to check in, but there’s been a change of plans regarding lunch. We’ll definitely reschedule to go another day this week, but today Hades will be taking you to eat. The two of you will be working closely together, after all, so I thought it would be beneficial for both of you to get to know each other a bit better in a more casual setting away from the office, so you can start to establish a comfortable working relationship.” She smiled. “See you later!”

Persephone sat silently while the older goddess turned and strode down the hallway to her own office.

_What?!_


End file.
